The field of the disclosure relates to radiation dosimeters for measuring the amount of radiation applied from a source of radiation during radiation therapy and, particularly, to dosimeters containing europium-doped potassium chloride. Other aspects of the disclosure include methods for measuring radiation from a source and methods for treating a patient having a cancerous tumor.
Radiation oncology (synonymously “radiation therapy”) has proven to be an effective method of treating cancerous tumors. Generally, radiation oncology involves the application of precise doses of radiation to a tumorous site. The radiation damages the DNA of the tumor causing it to die or reproduce more slowly. The rate of destruction of the tumor is dependent on the dose absorbed by the tissue.
Radiation dosimetry is a type of quality assurance for radiation therapy treatment. Radiation dosimetry may be utilized to measure or calculate the absorbed dose, to verify the dose of radiation and/or to calibrate the equipment providing the source of radiation.
Conventionally, radiation dosimetry utilized in radiation therapy techniques involves radiographic film such as silver bromide or involves ionization chambers which generate a signal in response to detecting radiation. The use of ionization chambers is limited as they cannot practically be used for multidimensional dose mapping. Radiographic film is a single use detector and cannot reliably be calibrated. Quantitative dosimetry with radiographic film requires the acquisition of a sensitometric curve each time a dosimetric measurement is made. This practice is unreliable as it is based on the assumptions individual films from a single batch and individual pixels on the same sheet share a common response and that the processor performance does not change from film to film. Further, the availability of film and film processors has become limited as radiation oncology clinics move toward digital imaging. A need exists for a quantitative, reusable, high-resolution multidimensional dosimeter that may be utilized for radiation therapy quality assurance.